I just rolled into Portland, The City of Roses, last night and will be here through Saturday morning before heading further north into Seattle.  Here is a quick recap of this past weekend beginning in Sacramento and into Bend, OR. 

• Thursday Night - Sacramento, CA
  Met up with John Harris, Jeff Scott, Scott Oas, and the crew from Bayside Church in Roseville, CA.  Each Thursday night they host a gathering called The Shore for college students and young adults.  As has been the case with so many people I meet on staff in church, John's initial role when he joined the Bayside team three years ago has morphed and taken on several different shades of responsibility.
  
  While John focuses much of his energy on The Shore he talked a lot about the vision of Thrive, a gathering of ministry leaders in the Northwest purppsed towards offering a refreshing, inspiring, & renewed vision of ministry.  I stayed with John and his family Thursday night and was so thankful to have spent time wtih the whole crew from Bayside.  Lincoln Brewster is Bayside's worship pastor, and together with their lead pastor Ray Johnston, Bayside is making a significant impact in the Sacramento communtiy.

• Friday Morning - Sacramento, CA
  I had the chance to meet with Julian Newman, lead pastor with Foothill Community Church, for a quick lunch at Chipotle.  Julian is an avid reader and we talked about several different books on leadership and culture that have impacted him as a leader in the church...so great hearing someone else process content that is consistently in front of me.  Julian is navigating through the dynamic of bringing new vision into the context of an existing church with over 80 years of history. How do you make new what is old? That is the challenge facing Julian and his leadership team.  Julian was transparent about the challenge of avoiding the temptation to try and be "popular" among the people verses committed to the cost of following the Lord.  Love this guy...
  
  On my way out of Sacramento I stopped by and met with Scott Oas, Director of Special Events with Bayside and good friends with John Harris.  I had the chance to hear more about what they are doing with Thrive and how they are reaching the leaders of this next generation in the church.  Great guy and his family tried to get me stay and hang for the afternoon...really wanted to take them up on their offer!  But Redding was calling my name...

• Friday Night - Redding, CA
  Quick stop at Bethel Church.  I had a chance to meet Bill Johnson before their Friday night service.  I rolled in unannounced and had a chance to just sit in the back and enjoy one of the most powerful worship times I've had in a long time.  Worship from the lips of those that are willing to lay their hearts open and bare before the Father forces a deecision - do I stop and cognitiviely discern all that is happening or can I let my heart be immersed in the simple truth of the Father's love?  It was a great night...

• Saturday Night - Bend, OR
  Saturday night I had the chance to attend Westside Church where Scott McBride introduced me to the staff and then took me to dinner...love his heart!  Wish I had more time to sit with Scott and the staff.  Keith Kirkpatrick & Steve Coats from Journey Church (a plant from New Hope in Bend) hosted me this weekend.  They sonnected me with the Carrick family who graciously let me stay in the guest room Saturday night.  Huge thanks to the Kirkpatrick, Coats, and Carrick families for welcoming me with such great hospitality! 
  
• Sunday Morning - Bend, OR
  Because of the crazy snow and ice in Bend on Sunday Steve Coats drove me around town...as much fun as it would have been to go skiing through Bend in the Vanagon we thought it best to let her rest at home!  :)  Sunday morning was spent at Antioch Church, led by Pastor Ken Wytsma.  Ken and I had a chance to have coffee Monday morning before I left for Portland.  Ken and I talked about the church and culture; I'm still chewing on some of what he shared about - everything from the need for education and formal teaching for next generation leaders in the church to the idea that our goal in the church is not to BE the primary culture but rather to be transformative WITHING culture.  Are we trying to make Christianity a cultural bottom line?  Ken and the team are not fighting the cultural war - they say the war is over.  "We lost.  And that's ok.  Now we get to focus back on people and offer the trasforming salt and light of Jesus..it's the heart."  So good...and so freeing.
  
• Sunday Night - Bend, OR
  Sunday night I spent the evening at Journey Church, a young church plant from New Hope Church.  Keith Kirkpatrick led the service and invited me to share about Catalyst - it was fun to be able to share the vision and excitement we, the Catalyst team, have of developing and freeing young leaders in the church towards impacting their community for Christ.  I think the crew at Journey was even more excited about attempting to break the Vanagon Record of 28 people crammed inside...just wait, there is a video coming that will blow your mind.  I won't say how many people that wedged in the Vanagon, but let it be known - they SHATTERED the record!  :)  Stayed with Steve and Danette Coats Sunday night...such a great family.  Huge thanks, again (can't say it enough), to the Kirkpatricks and Coats for making my time in Bend so amazing!

click here to see more pictures from this wild weekend!

I'm here in Portland now and am excited for the next 5 days in "Stumptown!"  More soon...

LV

Yup, I got a speeding ticket in the Vanagon...ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!  She's never gone fast enough to turn anyone's head!  I couldn't believe it!  When the officer asked me if I knew how fast I was going I said, "No, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me.  How fast?!"  56 in a 40. 

I now have evidence of the Vanagon's "excessive" speed.  :)  I may be paying for it with my own cold hard cash, but the highway highlighter is now inducted into the "too fast for the road" hall of fame.

Next time you see the Catalyst Vanagon on the road please move over into the right hand lane!  :)

 
(pulled over just insdie the Oregon border heading north towards Bend)

Weekend Recap coming soon...pics and updates from Sacramento, Redding, and Bend!

(Thursday, January 22)
Thursday morning I had the chance to get together with 10 pastors from the Santa Cruz area at a really cool coffee shop (The Abbey) started thourgh Vintage Faith Church.  I asked the guys to describe the culure of Northern California and specifically, Santa Cruz.  It paved the way for great insight in how these guys are being missional in "Surf City."

Here are some sound bites from our conversation, hope you are encouraged as you hear these guys process & wrestle with serious issues:

• Bobby Marchessault (Christian Life Center) - People in Santa Cruz are open to spiritual dialogue; they don't like the exclusivity of Christ but they are open to spiritual dialogue.  Kem Meyer called Santa Cruz an area "that many people say makes San Francisco look conservative."

• Chuckk Gerwig (Elevation Church) - anit religious feel in Northern Californai, like concentric circles that go out from San Francisco.  My goal is NOT to get people to come to church.  When asked what the goal is - the goal is to be part of the community.  So you may not get to be paid for that, there might be a need for a change in the area of full time paid clergy.  I must be outside of the bubble, must be slower in my approach to people and not so focused on merely trying to change their behavior.

• Brandon Kertson (Christian Life Center) - when comparing Northern CA to Southern CA, Southern CA is more of the CA "Bible Belt."

• Omar Spence (Elevation Church) - my friends that have grown up here and don't want to go to church.  santa cruz is so spiritual but they aren't christian.  there is a stroke of legalism that is a turn off to some of my non-churched friends - take fall weekend parties for example, christians are notorious for having really nerdy football parties with chips and dip timidly yelling raaaa!  when a lot of my friends who enjoy beer and go absolutely crazy when someone scores think, "dude, these guys are going to neuter my party!"  Santa Cruz is so unique, it's not a one size fits all.  What has worked for other places is probably not going to work here...

• Josh Fox (Vintage Faith) - 20 years ago parents would have been fired up to get their kids to church, but now, no way.  they dont want their kids to go to church.  People have a defensive attitude towards church.  We have to reintroduce who Jesus is.  Santa Cruz is a very sensual place, beautiful, lends itself to be emotional, artistic, in tune with feelings, creates an incredible greenhouse of creative expression - worship can take several different forms, a very expressive culture...we are balancing how we help lead and teach people about truth and what the bible says.  There has to a balance between expressive spiritual environments and the need for an intellectually sound foundation of truth.

(from L-R: Jesse West, Josh Fox, LV, Bobby Marchessault, Brandon Kertson,
Dan Lingenfelter, Omar Spence, Jared Michelson, Thud Gudnason, Chuckk Gerwig, Randy Boose)

It's late and I've been on the road all day...staying in Redding, CA tonight and am going to try for Bend, OR tomorrow.  The last two days have been filled with late nights and a lot of time on the road which cuts into time for blog updates.  Thanks for your patience; I should get into Bend relatively early tomorrow and will spend some time recapping the last couple days.

The Vanagon is running great, in fact, better than she has in almost a year...knock on wood!  Mount Shasta might test the Vanagon but I keep hearing how amazing Bend is and Steve Coats and company are a must visit!  More soon...

LV

(staying with John Harris from Bayside Church in Roseville, CA after a great night at a young adults gathering called The Shore...met a ton of people that asked about the Vanagon.  I told them about a new Vanagon passenger record and promised that I would post the video.  I will be staying in Redding, CA tomorrow night and then will make my first ever visit to the Beaver State (Oregon) this weekend!)

Our stop in Simi Valley with Paul Kuzma, Francis Chan, and a crew of pastors from the area proved to be a turning point in the life of the Catalyst Vanagon.  With apologies to John Adair and the many Catalyst fans in Asheville, NC it's time to announce a NEW Vanagon Passenger Record...

New Vanagon Record!!!

NEW VANAGON RECORD!!! from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Who will break the record next???

(updates from this morning's visit with 10 pastors in
Santa Cruz & tonight's time with the staff at Bayside coming soon)